Three Stars

1. Patrick Hager, Germany

The forward set up Germany's second goal and then scored what ended up being the winning goal as the Germans shocked Canada 4-3 to advance to the gold-medal game against the Olympic Athletes from Russia. Hager has three goals and three assists in the tournament. Germany last medaled in 1976, and has never won gold.

The Russian goalie stopped all 31 shots he faced in a 3-0 blanking of the Czechs, elevating OAR to the gold-medal game. The Russians were a 1-to-1 favorite to win gold before the tournament.

3. Chris Lee, Canada

The defenseman had the primary assists on Canada's second and third goals and played over 26 minutes in his team's loss to Germany. Lee has played in the KHL for the past five seasons after kicking around the AHL for franchises like the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Editor's Picks

It ended not with a miracle, but with a mewl: the U.S. men, a hockey superpower, sent packing before the medal round by the Czech Republic. How did this happen? A blown power play, lack of time to prepare and not enough college players were all factors.

Results

Men's semifinal: OAR 3, Czech Republic 0; Germany 4, Canada 3

Shock and awe for Canada

The last time Canada failed to medal in hockey in the Winter Games was in 2006, which was also the last time neither Canada nor the United States played for gold. The bottom line was preparation: Germany blitzed the Canadians, outshooting them in the first period and opening the scoring, and then building a 3-0 lead by the 6:49 mark of the second period on two even-strength goals.

"They came out ready to play. We didn't. They were the better team," Canada's Rob Klinkhammer said.

It's hard to imagine that Gilbert Brule of Canada will make an appearance in the bronze-medal game. He was given a game misconduct for this hit to the head of Germany's David Wolf.

What's up with the USA women's team?

Team USA's heroes will be honored at the 2018 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series between the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, on Saturday, March 3. The second intermission will feature a salute to all 23 members of the team.

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